Adjustable metal scaffold

ABSTRACT

A scaffold module having a first section comprising a horizontal deck having a tongue of reduced width extending outwardly from one end of the deck, a middle section comprising an elongated horizontal deck having a tongue of reduced width at one end of the deck and a support means extending outwardly from the second end of the deck, said first section tongue being in slidable contact with the top of the support means, and with the bottom, of the middle section deck, and a third section comprising a horizontal deck and a support means extending outwardly from one end of the deck, said middle section tongue being in slidable contact with the top of the support means, and with the bottom, of the third section deck.

United States Patent 1 Vaughn et al.

[ ADJUSTABLE METAL SCAF FOLD [75] Inventors: John Edward Vaughn,Houston,

Tex.; William Bradley Dixon, New Castle, Del.

[73] Assignee: Chicago Bridge & Iron Company,

Oak Brook, [11.

[22] Filed: Nov. 1, 1974 [211 App]. No.: 519,999

[52] US. Cl. 182/82; 182/152; 182/223 [51] Int. Cl. E04G 3/08 [58] Fieldof Search 182/223, 222, 187, 152,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,066,984 1/1937 Lamb182/187 2,623,643 12/1952 Seamans.... 182/187 3,265,156 8/1966 Jacobs182/223 3,282,378 11/1966 Pierce 182/223 [451 Sept. 30, 1975 PrimaryExaminer-Reinaldo P. Machado Attorney, Agent, or FirmMerriam, Marshall,Shapiro & Klose 5 7 ABSTRACT A scaffold module having a first sectioncomprising a horizontal deck having a tongue of reduced width extendingoutwardly from one end of the deck, a middle section comprising anelongated horizontal deck having a tongue of reduced width at one end ofthe deck and a support means extending outwardly from the second end ofthe deck, said first section tongue being in slidable contact with thetop of the support means, and with the bottom, of the middle sectiondeck, and a third section comprising a horizontal deck and a supportmeans extending outwardly from one end of the deck, said middle sectiontongue being in slidable contact with the top of the support means, andwith the bottom, of the third section deck.

9 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures US. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 1 of43,908,793

U.S. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 2 of4 3,908,793

U.S. Patent Sept. 30,1975 Sheet 3 of4 Sheet 4 of 4 3,908,793

U.S. Patent Sept. 30,1975

1 ADJUSTABLE METAL SCAFFOLD This invention relates to scaffolds. Moreparticularly, this invention pertains to adjustable scaffold moduleswhich can be used on vertical surfaces which are planar, cylindricallyconvex or cylindrically concave.

Many commercial structures are erected which have vertical surfaceswhich are curved or arced in a horizontal plane. For example, many largetanks and vessels, cooling towers, smoke stacks, water towers and thelike have vertical cylindrical or similar surfaces. The erection of suchstructures generally requires that workmen have ready access to thesurface as the erection progresses so that the necessary welding,bolting and cutting to join the pieces together can be accomplishedreadily and safely. Normally, one type or another of scaffolding is usedto support the workmen in a suitable position so that they can performsuch functions.

Much of the scaffolding used on construction and erection is madeespecially for the job. This involves time consuming cutting andassembly of the scaffolding and a substantial amount of waste since whenthe job is completed much of the scaffolding is discarded.

A type of lattice-like or cagelike scaffold structure is employed in theconstruction and erection industry. Such a scaffold requires that it bemounted on the ground level. It does not lend itself to mounting on thestructure being built and moved upwardly as construction progresses.Furthermore, the work deck used with such lattice-like scaffold is ofthe temporary plank type which is generally recognized to beconsiderably less safe than is desired. Furthermore, a lattice-typescaffold does not readily adapt itself to work on cylindrical surfaces.There is accordingly a need for an improved scaffold for use in theconstruction and erection industries which is readily adaptable for useon vertical flat or vertical cylindrical surfaces, whether positioned onthe concave or convex side, and which can be moved up the surface aswork progresses.

According to the present invention, there is provided a scaffold modulecomprising a first section having a horizontal deck with a tongue ofreduced width extending outwardly from one end of the deck, a middlesection comprising an elongated horizontal deck having a tongue ofreduced width at one end of the deck and a support means extendingoutwardly from the second end of the deck, said first section tonguebeing in slidable contact with the top of the support means and with thebottom of the middle section deck, and a third section comprising ahorizontal deck and a support means extending outwardly from one end ofthe deck, said middle section tongue being in slidable contact with thetop of the support means and with the bottom of the third section deck.The first section is slidable longitudinally and laterally with respectto the middle section. In addition, the first section can be rotatedeither clockwise or counter-clockwise with respect to the middle sectionso that it can be positioned at an angle thereto to thereby adapt thetwo sections to either the concave or convex curved surface of avertical cylindrical structure to be worked on. Similarly, the thirdsection is slidable longitudinally and laterally with respect to themiddle section and, in addition, the third section is also rotatable ina horizontal plane with respect to the middle section so that it can beipositioned at an angle with respect to the middle section to thereby beplaced in close position to the convex or the concave side of a verticalcylindrical surface.

The described scaffold module is also advisably provided with means toreleasably secure at an angle the first section to the middle section,and the middle section to the third section, to thereby hold all of thesections together in fixed releasably secure arrangement so that aworkman can safely move from one section to the other without thesections sliding apart and rendering the scaffold module unsafe.

The means used to secure the first section to the middle section, andthe middle section to the third section, can comprise an adjustableconnector. One such type of connector which can be used has a first barpivotally joined to a second bar. The first bar can be releasably andadjustably secured to the side edge of one section of the scaffoldmodule and the second bar can be releasably and adjustably secured tothe side edge of an adjoining section of the scaffold module. Thus, foursuch connectors can be employed with each scaffold module. Twoconnectors can join the first section to the middle section at opposingsides of the two sections, and two connectors can join the third sectionto the middle section at the opposing sides thereof. The pivotal jointof each connector permits the first section to be angled with respect tothe middle section and, similarly, for the third section to be angledwith respect to the middle section. Once the various scaffold modulesections have been positioned as desired, the connectors are releasablysecured so that the sections form a unitary scaffold module.

The scaffold module of this invention is intended to be used directly ona structure which is being built. For this purpose, installationvertical pins are provided along both sides of the scaffold module. Thevertical pins are positioned so as to slide into retaining holes inbrackets mounted on the surface of the structure being built. One sideedge of the scaffold module is provided with pins at the outer ends ofthe first and third sections and with pins in the center part of oneside of the middle section so that'the scaffold module can be readilyattached to the convex side of a vertical cylindrical surface. The otherlongitudinal side edge of the scaffold module is provided with verticalpins near the ends of the other side of the middle section for use inattaching the scaffold module to. brackets on the concave side of avertical cylindrical circular surface. The scaffold module thus lendsifself to ready installation on either the inside or the outsidesurfaces of cylindrical shells such as are used inzthe construction oflarge size vessels and tanks.

The scaffold module is also advisably provided with at least a pair ofsupporting braces beneath the middle section deck. Braces are positionedso that they can bear against a vertical surface on which the scaffoldmodule is mounted to aid in keeping the module level with respect to thesurface being worked on. Triangular adjustable braces are generally mostsuitable for this purpose.

Each of the three sections comprising the scaffold module is generallyprovided with vertically projecting side flanges or walls to strengthenthe deck against collapsing under load and to also prevent tools used byworkmen from rolling off of the edge of the section decks.

On large size erection jobs a plurality of scaffold v modules of thedescribed type can be used. To make a continuous scaffold structure outof the scaffold modules, the first section is provided with means at theouter end of the deck for releasably securing it to the end of the thirdsection of an abutting similar but separate scaffold module. Inaddition, the outer end of the third section of the module is alsoprovided with means so that it can be releasably secured to the end ofthe first section of an abutting similar but separate scaffold module.In this way, three consecutive scaffold modules can be releasablysecured or joined together along either the outside or the inside of avertical cylindrical shell or surface. Of course, additional scaffoldmodules can be joined to the end of any of the terminal scaffoldmodules.

When a series ofjoined together scaffold modules are positioned around atank or similar structure under construction they form a strongstiffener which aids in resisting high winds.

The scaffold module of this invention can be rapidly jumped from oneheight to another on a vertical surface. It can be used on a flatsurface, or on the inside or outside of a tank or vessel shell and itcan be adapted to either side with a minimum of effort.

The scaffold module is advisably made of metal, although it can be madeof other materials as is considered warranted by the type of use towhich it is to be put.

The invention will be described further in conjunction with the attacheddrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric exploded view of a scaffold module provided bythe invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the scaffold mod ule of FIG. 1with a hand railing installed;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the middle section of the scaffold module takenalong the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the scaffold module of FIGS. 1 to 3 shownmounted on the inside surface of a cylindrical tank having a verticalwall;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the scaffold module of FIGS. 1 to 3 shownmounted on the outside of a cylindrical tank having a vertical wall;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partial view of a connector having a pivotal joint used forholding the scaffold module sections together;

FIG. 9 is'a sectional view taken along the line 99 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is an end view of the latching mechanism when viewed along theline 10-10 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of a connectorfor holding the scaffold module sections together;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view along the line 12-12 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the ends of adjacent scaffold modules joinedtogether by metal bars;

FIG. 14 is a side'view along the line 14-14 of FIG. 13; and

FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional view along the line 15-15 of FIG. 13.

So far as is practical the same elements of parts which appear in thediferent views of the drawings will be identified by the same numbers.

As shown in FIG. 1, the scaffold module comprises a first section 100, amiddle section 200 and a third section 300.

The first section has a horizontal deck 11 with a tongue 12, of reducedwidth, extending outwardly from one end. The tongue has a downwardlydepending flange 13 at the end. This flange serves to hold the tongue 12in position with respect to the middle section 20 as will besubsequently seen. Projecting upwardly from the sides of deck 11 areupwardly projecting side flanges l4 and 15. A pair of spaced-apart pipesections 16 are placed on the inside of side flange 14 and a pair ofpipe sections 17, also spaced apart, are placed on the outside of sideflange l5. Connector 50 comprising round bars or rods 51 and 52 whichare connected together pivotally by pin 53, and connector 55 consistingof round bar or rod 56 and round bar or rod 57 pivotally joined togetherby pin 58, together serve to adjustably hold the first section 100 andthe middle section 200 of the scaffold module together. Round bar or rod51 slides horizontally through holes in pipe sections 16 and isreleasably secured in place by means of locking screws 18. In a similarmanner, round bar or rod 56 slides through holes in pipe sections 17 andis releasably secured in place by locking screws 19.

The first section 100 also has vertically positioned pipe sections 22 atthe end of side flange 14, and at the end of side flange 15. These pipesections receive vertical rods 23 (FIGS. 2 and 3) constituting part of ahandrail. Pin 26 at the end of flange 15 is provided for mounting thescaffold module on a vertical surface as is more fully explained laterherein. The first section 100 also has hinge portions 24 at the end ofdeck 11. In addition, bolt or latch mechanism 25 is provided at the endof deck 11 so that it can cooperate with the hinge portions 24, andhinge portions 48 and bolt mechanism 49 (like bolt mechanism 25) at theend of the third section 300 to thereby hingedly join the end of thethird section 300 to the end of a similar first section 100 to therebyattach two of the scaffold modules together.

The middle section 200 of the scaffold module has a horizontal deck 27and an outwardly extending tongue 28 of reduced width. Flange 29 dependsdownwardly from the end of tongue 28. Side flange 31 extends upwardlyalong one longitudinal edge of deck 27 and upwardly extending sideflange 32 extends along the other longitudinal edge of deck 27.Spaced-apart pipe sections 33, with locking screws 34, are mounted onthe inner edge of side flange 31. Round bar or rod 52 of connector 50slides into holes in pipe sections 33 and is releasably secured thereinby locking screws 34. Vertically positioned plate 35 is joined to theoutside surface of side flange 32, and in a similar manner plate 36 isjoined to the outside surface of flange 31. Each of the plates 35 and 36has a hole 37 for use in lifting the scaffold by hook and cable.Spaced-apart pipe sections 38 are joined to the outside surface of plate35. Each of the pipe sections 38 has a locking screw 39. The round baror rod 57 of connector 55 is releasably positioned in holes in pipesections 38 by the locking screws 39 to thus aid in releasably securingthe first section 100 to the middle section 200.

The middle section 200 has a lateral brace 40 at one end spaced beneaththe deck 27 to provide enough clearance for the tongue 12 to slidebeneath the brace 40 and the bottom of deck 27. Support for the tongue12 is further provided by the outwardly extending braces 41 and 42 whichjoin to form an apex.

Hinge portions 43 (FIGS. 1 and 3) are mounted on the outside surface oflifting 36, and they are adapted to receive hinge portion 44therebetween. Pin 45 extends through the hinge portions 43 and 44 tothereby complete the hinge. Hinge portion 44 is mounted on plate 46containing pins 47.

Spaced-apart pipe sections 61 are mounted on theinside surface of theother end of side flange 31. Each pipe section 61 is provided with alocking screw 62. On the outside surface of side flange 32 arepositioned spaced-apart pipe sections 63, each of which has a lockingscrew 64. Connectors 65 and 71 are used to releasably secure middlesection 200 to third section 300. Connector 65 has'round bar or rod 66joined to round bar or rod 67 in a pivotal manner by pin 68. Round baror rod 66 is adapted to be slid into holes in pipe sections 61 and to bereleasably secured therein by locking screws 62. Connector 71 has around bar or rod 72 joined pivotally to round bar or rod 73 by pin 74.Round bar or rod 72 is adapted to slide releasably in holes in pipesections 63. Mounted on the outside surface of flange 32 is a pair ofclosely spaced-apart pins 77. Pipe sections 22 having locking screws arepositioned vertically in the middle of side flange 31, and in the middleof side flange 32, for the purposeof releasably receiving the bottom endof vertical rods 23 constituting part of the handrail. Horizontal rods75 and 76 are joined by clamps to the vertical rods or pipes 23 tothereby form the railing.

The third section 300 of the scaffold module has a deck 81 and upwardlyprojecting opposing side flanges 82 and 83. Lifting plate 84 is joinedto the outside surface of flange 82 and lifting plate 85 is joined tothe outside surface of flange 83. Holes 37 in plates 84 and 85 are usedto lift the scaffold. Hinge portions 86 are vertically mounted on theoutside surface of lifting plate 84. Hinge portion 87 on plate 88cooperates with hinge portions 86 and pin 89 to hingedly secure plate 88to the third section 300. Pins 89 are mounted on 1 plate 88 and are usedtogether with brackets 111 (FIG.

tively to receive upright rods or pipes '23 constituting part of thescaffold hand railing.

Spaced-apart pipe sections 91 having locking screws 92 are mounted onthe inner face of side flange 82. The pipe sections 91 receive round baror rod-67 of connector 65, and hold the same in a secure but releasablemanner. Spaced-apart pipe sections 93 having locking screws 94 aremounted on the outside surface of lifting plate 85. Round bar or rod 73of connector 71 isslidably and releasably secured in the pipe sections93.

.Lateral brace 104 extends the width of deck 81 and is spacedsufficiently far below the bottom of the deckso that tongue 28 of themiddle section can move slidably and rotatably beneath the brace 104 andthe bottom of deck 91. Braces 95 and 96, which are joined together attheir ends to form an apex, are positioned beneath tongue 28 to therebyprovide additional support. a 3

FIG. 3 illustrates a support system for maintaining the scaffold modulehorizontal when it is attached to a vertical surface. Brace96 isrotatably connected at its top end to lateral brace (FIG. 1) of themiddle section 200. In addition, a brace 97 is also connected at itsupper end to brace 40. Both of the braces 96 and 97 are adjustablyconnected together by means of a bolt 98 which can be positioned at anappropriate location in the series of holes at the end of each of thebraces 96 and 97. Foot pad 99 on brace 97 is in bearing contact with thevertical plate 110 to which the scaffold is connected. The scaffold isconnected to plate 110 by means of bracket straps 111 which are weldedto plate 110. Each bracket strap 111 contains two closely spaced-apartholes into which the pins 47 are inserted from the top downwardly. Asimilar bracket strap receives the pins 89 when the scaffold is mountedon the inside or concave side of a vertical cylindrical surface as shownin FIG. 4. ,7

FIG. 5 shows the scaffold module on the convexor outside surface of avertical cylindrical plate 110. The scaffold module is mounted on theoutside of the plate 110 by means of pins 26, 77 and positioned inspaced-apart bracket straps 111 which are weldedto the outside of theplate or shell 110. It is thus readily seen how the scaffold module canbe easily positioned for use inside or outside of a vertical cylindricalplate or shell. The necessary adjustment is made by suitable positioningof the connectors 50, 55, 65 and 71 to rotate the first and thirdsections and 300 with respect to the middle section 200.

The scaffold module can be readily joined to a similar scaffold moduleby placing the outer end of the first section 100 in abutting positionwith respect to the outer end of the third section 300 of a similarscaffold module. When so positioned the bolt 115 (FIG. 10) of boltmechanism 25 is moved out through hinge portion 48 and into hingeportion 24. In a similar manner, a bolt is moved out of bolt mechanism49 through hinge portion 24 into hinge portion 48. In this way the twoabutting ends of two similar scaffold .modules are safely support theworkmen engaged in such construction activities, thus protecting themfrom the possibility mechanisms which can be released readily when thescaffold is to be disassembled and relocated.

The described scaffold module is readily moved up a tank shell as it iserected. Furthermore, by connecting a series of the described scaffoldmodules together and extending them around the tank during construction,a rigid girder is obtained which provides ancillary strength to the tankso that it can better resist high winds during the erection operation.Furthermore, the scaffold is made of substantial strength so that it canof. falling.

FIGS. 11 and 12 of the drawings show an alternative form of connectorwhich can be used in securing adjacent module sections together. Theconnector comprises rectangular bars 121 and 122 which are hingedly orpivotally joined together by hinge pin 123.

Bar 121 isslidably positioned in spaced-apart brackets 124 and 126mounted on flange 15. Locking bolts and 127 in brackets 124 and 126releasably secure bar 121 in position. In the same manner, bar 122 isslidably mounted in spaced-apart brackets 131 and 133 on flange 32-having, respectively, locking bolts 132 and .134 for releasably'securingthe bar in position. Al-

though only one connector 120 has been illustrated and described itshould ,be understood that four such connectors would be used on eachscaffold module in the same way as connectors 50, 55, 65 and 71 havebeen illustrated and described.

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate an alternative way of joining together theadjacent ends of separate scaffold modules. Metal bar or plate 150 isbolted to the outside surfaces of flanges 82 and 14 by bolts 151, andbar or plate 160 is bolted to the inside surfaces of flanges 83 and 15.In this way the hinge portions 24 and 48 and bolt mechanisms 25 and 49can be eliminated.

FIGS. 13 and 15 illustrate alternative means for mounting pins 26 and 90on a scaffold module. Each of the pins 26 and 90 is joined to V-shapedbrackets 166 and 167 joined respectively to flanges l and 83. Greaterstrength is obtained by mounting the pins in this way rather thandirectly to the flanges. This same mounting means is recommended forpins 77.

Also shown in FlGS. 13 and is an alternative way to mount handlines onthe scaffold. As shown in these figures, a plate 171 is joined to thecorner of plate 11 and then round stub bar 172 is joined to plate 171.Handline post 173 slides downwardly over stub bar 172 and can be securedthereto by a pin or bolt not shown. Similar handline mounting units arepositioned as needed on the scaffold module sections. Cables can bejoined to posts 173 to provide the needed safety handlines.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

l. A scaffold module comprising:

a first section comprising a horizontal deck having a tongue of reducedwidth extending outwardly from one end of the deck;

a middle section comprising an elongated horizontal deck having a tongueof reduced width at one end of the deck and a support means extendingoutwardly from the second end of the deck;

said first section tongue being in slidable contact with the top of thesupport means, and with the bottom, of the middle section deck; and

a third section comprising a horizontal deck and a support meansextending outwardly from one end of the deck;

said middle section tongue being in slidable contact with the top of thesupport means, and with the bottom, of the third section deck.

2. A scaffold module according to claim 1 including means to releasablysecure at an angle the first section to the middle section, and themiddle section to the third section.

3. A scaffold module comprising:

a first section comprising a horizontal deck having verticallyprojecting side flanges and a tongue of reduced width extendingoutwardly from one end of the deck;

a middle section comprising an elongated horizontal deck havingvertically projecting side flanges, a tongue of reduced width at one endof the deck and a cantilevered support means extending outwardly fromthe second end of the deck;

said first section tongue being in slidable contact with the top of thecantilevered support means, and with the bottom, of the middle sectiondeck; and

a third section comprising a horizontal deck having verticallyprojecting side flanges and a cantilevered support means extendingoutwardly from one end of the deck;

said middle section tongue being in slidable contact with the top of thecantilevered support means, and with the bottom, of the third sectiondeck.

4. A scaffold module according to claim 3 in which the first, middle andthird sections are metal.

5. A scaffold module according to claim 3 including an adjustableconnector to releasably secure each side edge of the first section tothe middle section, and each side edge of the middle section to thethird section.

6. A scaffold module according to claim 5 in which each connector is abar pivotallyjoined to a second bar, and the first bar is releasablysecured to the side edge of one section and the second bar is releasablysecured to the side edge of the adjoining section, said connectors beingcapable of securing at an angle the first section to the middle section,and the middle section to the third section.

7. A scaffold module according to claim 3 in which the first section hasmeans at the other end of the deck for releasably securing it to the endof the third section of an abutting similar scaffold module, and thethird section of the module of claim 3 has means at the other end of thedeck for releasably securing it to the end of the first section of anabutting similar scaffold module.

8. A scaffold module according to claim 3 in which the middle section ofa first side of the module has vertical pins near the ends of thesection, and the second side of the scaffold module has vertical pins atthe outer ends of the first and third sections and in about the centerof the middle section, said pins being sized to fit into bracketsmounted on a vertical surface to thereby support the scaffold modulewith one side of the module at a time adjacent said vertical surface.

9. A scaffold module according to claim 3 in which the middle sectionhas a pair of braces beneath the deck which can bear against a verticalsurface on which the scaffold module is mounted to keep the modulelevel.

1. A scaffold module comprising: a first section comprising a horizontaldeck having a tongue of reduced width extending outwardly from one endof the deck; a middle section comprising an elongated horizontal deckhaving a tongue of reduced width at one end of the deck and a supportmeans extending outwardly from the second end of the deck; said firstsection tongue being in slidable contact with the top of the supportmeans, and with the bottom, of the middle section dEck; and a thirdsection comprising a horizontal deck and a support means extendingoutwardly from one end of the deck; said middle section tongue being inslidable contact with the top of the support means, and with the bottom,of the third section deck.
 2. A scaffold module according to claim 1including means to releasably secure at an angle the first section tothe middle section, and the middle section to the third section.
 3. Ascaffold module comprising: a first section comprising a horizontal deckhaving vertically projecting side flanges and a tongue of reduced widthextending outwardly from one end of the deck; a middle sectioncomprising an elongated horizontal deck having vertically projectingside flanges, a tongue of reduced width at one end of the deck and acantilevered support means extending outwardly from the second end ofthe deck; said first section tongue being in slidable contact with thetop of the cantilevered support means, and with the bottom, of themiddle section deck; and a third section comprising a horizontal deckhaving vertically projecting side flanges and a cantilevered supportmeans extending outwardly from one end of the deck; said middle sectiontongue being in slidable contact with the top of the cantileveredsupport means, and with the bottom, of the third section deck.
 4. Ascaffold module according to claim 3 in which the first, middle andthird sections are metal.
 5. A scaffold module according to claim 3including an adjustable connector to releasably secure each side edge ofthe first section to the middle section, and each side edge of themiddle section to the third section.
 6. A scaffold module according toclaim 5 in which each connector is a bar pivotally joined to a secondbar, and the first bar is releasably secured to the side edge of onesection and the second bar is releasably secured to the side edge of theadjoining section, said connectors being capable of securing at an anglethe first section to the middle section, and the middle section to thethird section.
 7. A scaffold module according to claim 3 in which thefirst section has means at the other end of the deck for releasablysecuring it to the end of the third section of an abutting similarscaffold module, and the third section of the module of claim 3 hasmeans at the other end of the deck for releasably securing it to the endof the first section of an abutting similar scaffold module.
 8. Ascaffold module according to claim 3 in which the middle section of afirst side of the module has vertical pins near the ends of the section,and the second side of the scaffold module has vertical pins at theouter ends of the first and third sections and in about the center ofthe middle section, said pins being sized to fit into brackets mountedon a vertical surface to thereby support the scaffold module with oneside of the module at a time adjacent said vertical surface.
 9. Ascaffold module according to claim 3 in which the middle section has apair of braces beneath the deck which can bear against a verticalsurface on which the scaffold module is mounted to keep the modulelevel.